Death penalty laws were believed to be established as early as eighteenth century BC in the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon. It allowed death for 25 crimes. The fourteenth century BC code of Hittite made all crimes punishable by death. Fifth century BC of Roman Law of Twelve Tablets used crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, and impalement as death methods. The first execution in the United States occurred in 1622 was Daniel Frank because of theft.

In Britain during the 1700s, punishable by death by crimes became outrageous. 222 crimes were punishable by death, including cutting down a tree. Because of the severity, the crimes were reduced to over 100 in 1823.

Current Law

International law states that capital punishment cannot be used for people, who were under 18 at the time of the crime committed. Yet, eight countries still violate this law, including the US.

English: Total number of executions carried out in...

US gas chamber usage

English: A zoomed in version of File:Executions_in...

The other seven countries are Congo, Iran, Yemen, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria. The United States have executed 19 people who committed their crime under 18, more than the other seven countries combined. Many countries do not believe in capital punishment at all. A total of 106 nations, including 30 since 1990, have abolished the death penalty. Thirteen states in America do not have the death penalty.

A Very Short Introduction

The death penalty is one of the most heated arguments in the United States. The main question asked is: Should the death penalty be abolished? This author thinks so.

Human Error

There is always a possibility of error in sentencing death to an innocent person. In the last 30 years, 114 inmates on the death row were found to be innocent and released. A study from Columbia University by Professor James Liebman revealed some shocking...

living in australia, we dont have the death penalty and it seems to work for us here. i think they should abolish it! i dont think anyone has the right to take someones life no matter what there history

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More Controversial Issues essays:

... death penalty is no more effective a deterrent than life imprisonment... It is also evident that the burden of capital punishment falls upon the poor, the ignorant and the underprivileged members of society," this once said Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. In the United States, the death ...

... punishment under the Constitution. As a result of the ruling, a four-year suspension on executions was ensued. However, in 1976 the death penalty was considered constitutional again because the Court said that the states had adequately revised their death penalty laws ...

... International states on its website that" an average of three countries per year have abolished the death penalty since 1976 (...)." The only Western industrialized country that retains capital punishment is the United States. However, statistics prove that American ...

... state the opinion of the opposite side. This article also gives a brief timeline of when certain laws were put into place, and how the death penalty laws have changed over time. Powell, Michael. "Obama Disagrees With Supreme Court Decision on Death Penalty ." New ...

... Americans are either heavily in favor of execution or heavily opposed to it. Mr. Edward Koch, former mayor of New York, is an ardent supporter of the death penalty; in 1985 he wrote an essay entitled "Death and Justice: How Capital Punishment ...

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